The present invention relates to oral care implements, such as toothbrushes, having a pump for pumping an oral care fluid to a fluid outlet.
It is known to provide an oral care implement, such as a toothbrush, with a reservoir storing an oral care fluid and a pump for feeding the fluid to a fluid outlet, such as at a head of the implement. One such known oral care implement has a diaphragm pump for pumping oral care fluid from a reservoir to a fluid outlet, which diaphragm pump has a pair of flap valves controlling fluid flow through a chamber of variable volume between the flap valves. The material from which flap valves are made can deteriorate over time, particularly if subjected to high temperatures, leading to poor operation or failure of the valves. Another such known oral care implement has a pump device comprising two valves, each comprising a movable, unattached spherical valve member. However, the spherical valve members would not reliably control fluid flow through the valves.
There is a need for an oral care implement, such as a toothbrush, with a more robust and more reliable pump mechanism for pumping oral care fluid from a reservoir towards a fluid outlet.